Senior Congress MLA Chander Kumar was appointed the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly’s pro-tem Speaker on Wednesday. Governor Rajendra Arlekar approved the 78-year-old's appointment. A pro-tem Speaker is a temporary Speaker appointed for a limited period to conduct Assembly work. Chander Kumar will administer the oath to the newly elected MLAs. The Winter Session is likely to be announced in the coming week. Chander Kumar is a six-time MLA from Jawali in Kangra district. A former teacher, he is an influential Other Backward Class (OBC) leader and was once considered among the probables for the chief minister’s position. Kumar registered his first victory as an MLA in 1982 from the constituency of Guler that does not exist after delimitation. He has held several Cabinet portfolios such as power, forest, irrigation, environment, and agriculture. In 2004, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Kangra and has been active in district politics since 2009. For four terms, Kumar was a member of the Assembly committee on energy. After Congress working president Pawan Kajal defected to the BJP a few months ago, the party replaced him with Kumar. The veteran leader has degrees in geography and law. He has taught at St Bede’s College in Shimla.
